Page 144

We sank into enjoying our meals then.

Kai with his slow-cooked ribs in a wine reduction with dark chocolate, along with garlic mashed potatoes, and Nyx with his charred berry-glazed beef skewers.

“So, are you excited about starting your apprenticeship at the Guardian Movement?” Ariana asked Nyx.

His electric-blue eyes lit up at the question. “Definitely. I can’t wait. Warlow—your Gramps—even called me to let me know that the team now has a name.Crossborn.It’s a nod to hybrid beings having been created by the crossing of bloodlines, abilities, that sort of thing.”

“I like it,” I said. “Very on point.”

“It has a mythic feel to it as well,” Kai added.

“I know, right?” Nyx exclaimed, excitedly.

“He’s as excited as you,” Ariana told him. “This has been in the works for a while, and now it’s finally coming together.”

“It’s gonna be a game changer for hybrids,” Nyx said.

“It will be,” she responded, sounding so sure about it. “And it’s been needed for a long time.” She looked out at me and Kai in turn. “Thisis how you do it, how to make things better, how to combat ignorance and improve the lives of hybrids.”

Before we could respond, Nyx spoke, “Yeah, I appreciate the sentiment, guys. You defending me, wanting to protect me, and the bigger picture even with the wholePuritasnightmare of it all. But I don’t want people tortured, especially not in my name. Please, okay?” He downed a good portion of his vodka,then went on, “We have to be careful with things like this because where is the line? How are we better than them if we’re responding with sadism and vicious force, maybe even murder, right? That’s whatPuritasmembers do, they attack my kind in that manner.” He put his glass down and scrubbed a shaking hand over his face. “Let’s draw that line here and now.”

“It doesn’t matter who it is, who they’re aligned with, who they’re backed by, if they come at you, or any single one of you at this table, they’ll be decimated,” Kai ground out.

I nodded. “As I told Ariana, babe, there are situations where a show of force is unavoidable, where nothing else will suffice.”

“That particularshow of forcewon’t even be registered as such, or be able to function as a deterrent going forward, because it was covered up,” Kai pointed out, eyeing Ariana briefly, before taking another bite of his food.

“I did that to protect the two of you,” she bit back. “Andto veer you off going down that path in a more recurring way.”

Kai laid his hand on her shoulder and stroked her soft skin. “I know you did, Ari. I know it was to protect us. But there were consequences to doing that.”

She blew out a breath, but noticeably didn’t jerk away from his touch. “So, you’d still do it again?”

“If I had to, yes. You know me.”

She grasped his hand on her and used that patient tone with him again that I’d first heard in that basement earlier. “I also know that you’re rational and calculating, and that those are two of your strengths. That wasn’t employed with that mess earlier.”

“No,” he admitted, Nyx and I exchanging a shocked look. “No, it wasn’t.”

“Because it was about somebody you care about so deeply in Nyx.”

Kai smiled out at him. “Of course.”

“Well, things are different now,” Ariana told him, then looked out at me. “And I know this response to issues like this a part of your draconic nature.”

“Undoubtedly, gorgeous.”

“Butthere’s also this now,” she said, gesturing between all four of us. “This special connection that we’re building. So, from now on, if we want that to continue, if we want it to grow, if we want it to actually work, we acttogether.We assess any further situations like this as a unit and don’t act until we’re in agreement about how to proceed.Especiallywhen it comes to something involving the complicated nature ofPuritas.I’ve already reported Sorin and the situation to Warlow, and he’ll work with Guardian Movement members to root out any otherPuritasfollowers from the Academy. But, in spite of that, there will always be those who fear the likes of Nyx and myself—beings with power that they don’t understand. So we need to be prepared, not only to deal with it, but in thewaythat we deal with it.”

A lick of desire rolled through me at her take-charge and forceful speech. I saw a similar reaction from Kai with clear pride shining in his eyes also. Because she wasn’t turning tail, she was facing it head-on with us, and talking about doing that beyond as well.

“Understood,” I agreed.

“That’s more than reasonable,” Kai said.

Nyx was smiling out at the three of us. “Very good,” he uttered. “Really damn good.”

I reached out and stroked his nape, making him basically purr for me. It had Kai chuckling.